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DSS arrests sixth suspect linked to the 2022 Owo church massacre.
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Suspect identified as ISWAP commander Sani Yusuf.
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He allegedly confessed to involvement in multiple terrorist attacks.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a sixth suspect in connection with the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which left about 40 worshippers dead and several others injured.
The suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, was reportedly arrested at Iguosa community along Powerline in Ovia North Local Government Area of Edo State after security operatives tracked his movements.
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Sources disclosed that Yusuf, believed to be a senior commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), fled to Kano after the Owo church attack before relocating to Edo State where he was eventually apprehended.
During interrogation, the suspect reportedly confessed to participating in the planning and execution of the Owo church massacre and other terrorist operations, including the July 2022 Suleja military barracks attack and kidnapping activities in Kaduna State.
He also admitted involvement in the Zuma Rock checkpoint attack, which reportedly claimed the lives of five soldiers, and revealed that he operated under ISWAP commander Abu Ikirimah, who was arrested in 2024.
Meanwhile, the DSS is prosecuting five other suspects earlier arrested in connection with the Owo church attack, including Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.